Conventional gas turbine engines utilize the structure of the components to form a unitary design and the components structure acts as a unitary frame. When using the component structure for the frame, physical and structural compromises must be made. For example, heat within causes thermal growth and stress, structural integrity of supporting components during field service becomes a necessity and service accessibility become critical factors during design analysis and manufacturing considerations.
An example of such an engine configuration can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,115 issued to L. R. Wisoka on Apr. 21, 1970. The engine configuration disclosed in the Wisoka patent includes a generally conventional alignment including a central axis having an inlet end centered thereon, an axial compressor aligned about the central axis, a recuperator radially spaced from the central axis and a port interconnecting the compressor with the recuperator. Positioned radially inward of the recuperator and radially outward of the central axis is a combustion chamber, and positioned radially inward of the combustion chamber and centered upon the central axis is a turbine. The engine configuration includes a unitary housing having the above components positioned therein in heat generating relationship therewith and structurally supporting the components in a conventional manner.
The position and location of critical components influences servicing time and costs. For example, in many existing gas turbine engines the primary components requiring service, such as the combustor, first stage nozzle and turbine, are positioned in undesirable locations and form a portion of the supporting structure. This results in extensive disassembly during field servicing and replacement of parts.
The present invention is directed to overcome one or more of the problems as set forth above.